Zandalar tribe
The Zandalar tribe has come to Yojamba Isle in the effort to recruit help against the resurrected Blood God and his Atal'ai priests in Zul'Gurub and the Temple of Atal'Hakkar. The Zandalar tribe includes members of the Zandalar troll and jungle troll races. The Zandalari serve as an overall priest caste for Azeroth’s trolls and spend much of their time researching ancient knowledge and magic; they also oppose Hakkar. Zandalar is an island in the South Seas to the southwest of Westfall on Azeroth. On this island live trolls — thousands upon thousands of trolls. It is understandably a difficult place to visit for anyone who isn’t a troll. The Zandalar tribe is the progenitor tribe from which all other troll tribes sprang. The Zandalari trolls make an appearance in Zul'Drak, recording the fall of the once-mighty troll city. This is the first time trolls have sacrificed their gods and stolen their power; in Zul'Gurub, the Gurubashi Priests had fallen under the mind control of Blood God and their Loa's power was merely being stolen through them. In Zul'Aman, the Amani Priests asked their Loa for help in their war against the Horde and the Alliance, and the Loa agreed. History The Zandalari were the earliest known trolls, the first tribe from which all tribes originated. Over time two distinct troll empires emerged — the Amani and Gurubashi. They existed for thousands of years until the coming of the night elves, who warred with them and eventually drove both empires into exile. Following the Great Sundering, the defeated Gurubashi grew ever more desperate to eke out a living. Searching for a means to survive, they enlisted the aid of the savage Blood God, Hakkar (aka the Soulflayer). Hakkar grew into a merciless oppressor who demanded daily sacrifices from his devotees, and so in time the Gurubashi turned on their dark master. The strongest tribes (including the Zandalar) banded together to defeat Hakkar and his loyal troll priests, the Atal'ai. The united tribes narrowly defeated the Blood God and cast out the Atal'ai... despite their victory, however, the Gurubashi Empire soon fell. In recent years the exiled Atal'ai priests have discovered that Hakkar's physical form can only be summoned within the ancient and once-deserted capital of the Gurubashi Empire, Zul'Gurub. Unfortunately, the priests have met with success in their quest to call forth Hakkar — reports confirm the presence of the dreaded Soulflayer in the heart of the ruins. And so the Zandalar tribe has arrived on the shores of Azeroth to battle Hakkar once again. But the Blood God has grown increasingly powerful, bending several tribes to his will and even commanding the avatars of the Primal Gods — Bat, Panther, Tiger, Spider, and Snake. With the tribes splintered, the Zandalari have been forced to recruit champions from Azeroth's varied and disparate races to battle, and hopefully once again defeat, the Soulflayer. From: Zandalar Tribe at the old Official site. Tens of thousands of years ago, two great troll empires appeared: the Amani and the Gurubashi. The Amani were forest trolls and the Gurubashi were jungle trolls; Amani and Gurubashi were the names of the two largest and most powerful troll tribes, which is why the empires received their names. These early empires eventually clashed with the nascent night elves. Drawing arcane magic from the Well of Eternity, the night elves shocked the trolls by handing them a rapid and resounding defeat. The night elves pushed the trolls out of some of their lands and were then able to establish the night elf empire. One tribe of trolls in these ancient days was the Zandalar tribe — the progenitor tribe from which all other trolls arose. Most Zandalari were scholarly and valued knowledge; however, a significant portion desired conquest instead. These disaffected trolls eventually left the Zandalari to found other tribes. The remaining Zandalari, then, were all of the scholarly and mystical bent. As time went on, other trolls came to regard them as an overarching priest caste for all trolls. The Zandalari preserved troll history, and they worked to further the goals of troll society as a whole. Though they had the respect and admiration of all other trolls, the Zandalari did not attempt to exert any power over them. They averaged (and still average) 8 feet in height: significantly larger than all other trolls save the savage Drakkari of the far north. Despite their greater size and knowledge and the respect they commanded, the Zandalari did not wield sovereignty over the other trolls, nor did they seek such authority. When the Sundering came, the wise Zandalari trolls wove swift magics to protect their realm. The land around their territory shuddered; waves crashed in and trees and soil sank beneath the waves. Through it all, the Zandalari’s land remained largely intact. After the Sundering, the Zandalari discovered that their territory was now an island. Seeing no reason to leave it, they set about rebuilding their settlements and continuing their studies. Eventually the Zandalari noticed that their Gurubashi brethren on the mainland were growing rapidly in power and territory, attributing their victories to the influence of the god Hakkar. At first, the Zandalari were glad for the fellow trolls. However, as Zul’Gurub continued to expand, the Zandalari’s pleased surprise turned to disquiet. They consulted myths and delved into historical accounts. What they learned horrified them. Hakkar was also known as the “Soulflayer”, a name he had richly earned. He filled his adherents with murderous rage and reveled in their dark emotions. The carnage that invariably followed Hakkar suited him perfectly, for having consumed blood he had developed a taste for it. Worse, he became more powerful as he consumed the blood shed in his name, and his tie to the world that was feeding him grew stronger. Every Zandalari who could fight immediately set out for Stranglethorn Vale and brought the terrible tidings to the jungle trolls. The Gurubashi empire was already in a state of civil unrest due to the numerous sacrifices that Hakkar was demanding. With the Zandalar tribe’s news, the jungle trolls banded together with the Zandalar tribe and rose up in open revolt against the bloodthirsty Soulflayer. Zandalar has long been the heart of all troll culture throughout the world. Zandalari are their own separate sort of troll — not jungle trolls, not forest trolls, not ice or dark or sand. (However, several groups of other trolls live on Zandalar, including jungle trolls beneath the canopy and ice trolls on snowy Mount Mugamba.) The Zandalari’s overall goal remains what it always has been: to maintain troll history and continue their research. They also again oppose Hakkar. Every 6 years, Zandalar also plays host to a meeting of all troll tribes. Trolls from all over the world meet in the great ziggurat-city of Zuldazar to discuss matters of importance to all trolls. Zandalar is neutral ground for trolls. Though many tribes don’t get along with each other, they all meet on peaceful terms in Zandalar. Organization King Rastakhan, a hoary and formidable witch doctor, rules the Zandalari from his capital of Zuldazar. The Zandalari are mystical and ancient trolls who revere knowledge and history; their organization is loose. They represent an overall priest caste for all trolls, yet they do not attempt to parley this position into real power with those trolls. Military The Zandalar tribe is a group of mystical trolls who serve as the priest caste for all other trolls. They have few warriors, and what warriors they do have are dedicated to protecting their home island of Zandalar. Thus, when the Zandalari need people to accomplish tasks in the larger world, they work through agents of other races. Were an unfriendly member of such a race to enter Zandalar, however, he would find himself contending with the Zandalari’s warriors. Though few, they are rumored to be excellent fighters. The Zandalari make their home in the jungle. As such, their warriors prefer to attack from ambush, lurking in the trees’ shadows, in the underbrush, or in the canopy before bursting out to attack. They set themselves up in the wilderness along their enemy’s path well in advance, then leap forward when the time is right. They hurl javelins; then, depending on the reaction, they either continue to fling their weapons, they charge into melee, or they melt back into the shadows to perform the same tactic again. Many priests and witch doctors work among the Zandalari, so almost all Zandalar warriors are in possession of a few bottles of brews they can slug back to make themselves stronger, fiercer, or heal their wounds. Zandalar leaders carry many such concoctions and are sure to have witch doctors at their sides who provide them with more. If they expect to go to battle, the trolls drink the brews immediately beforehand, allowing them to crush their enemies with ease. If battle is joined, Zandalar priests and witch doctors support their warriors with enhancement spells and healing in addition to entering the fray directly. Bloodlust and inner fire are particularly devastating — spells that affect many allies at once. Of course, the spellcasters don’t mind blasting their enemies when the situation calls for it, and Zandalari potion docs spend battles hurling explosive potions into enemy ranks. The few Zandalari warriors take the front lines, though they prefer to soften up the enemy with thrown javelins and axes first. This tactic also allows their spellcasters more time to cast beneficial spells on them before melee is joined. Zandalari warriors are fierce and wild, and they do not often retreat; once a troll throws himself into melee, he isn’t coming back until the enemy’s corpses lie about him. Zandalar warriors perform other functions as well, including reconnaissance, discovering the best places to set their ambushes. They also harry enemy forces with guerilla tactics, which can make the enemy foolish. Priests and witch doctors help these endeavors with divination magic. Location Zandalar is a sizeable island a ways southwest of Westfall. Two huge mountains rise from its green canopy; one of these mountains is in fact the great ziggurat-city Zuldazar, while the other is snowy Mount Mugamba. Other, smaller ziggurats — the domains of troll priests and witch doctors — also jut from the jungle, and birds and stranger beasts fl it above and among the trees. Troll priests and witch doctors live all over the island. It is a lush and tropical place, and a deadly one. Membership You are either born a Zandalari or you are not; you cannot enter into the tribe unless a parent is a Zandalari. The trolls of the Zandalar tribe are among the largest, strongest trolls in the world. (The Drakkari ice trolls of Northrend are just as big.) They are just as ferocious as other trolls, and just as cunning, if not more so. A typical Zandalari spends his days hunting in the jungles or fishing along the coastlines. Many spend their days researching ancient lore and cataloguing history. Religion is important to the Zandalari —they are the trolls’ priest caste, after all — and they revere their pantheon of primitive, animalistic gods that take the forms of bats, snakes, and the like. Zandalar priests carve totems and engage in rituals, while Zandalar witch doctors brew potions and administer to wounded trolls. The Zandalari are constantly vigilant against invaders. And even though they may be powerful, a worgen or an orc could overwhelm them, so they try to remain secure and safe. Known members Reputation Quests * (500 rep) * (350 rep, 2x , one in the mail 24h later) * (500 rep) * Class specific Zandalar armor sets (350 rep, one quest at Friendly, Honored and Revered) * Receiving and upgrading Zul'Gurub Amulet (100 rep one quest at each reputation stand from Friendly. Upgrading the amulet from the Honored version to the Revered version awards 250 rep, as does upgrading the amulet from the Revered to the Exalted version.) Rewards There are also unique head and leg enchants which requires a reputation. See Zul'Gurub Enchants. Upon reaching a reputation, you can receive a neck slot item (as well as some gold and rep), e.g. the Maelstrom's Tendril from Falthir the Sightless. You can upgrade these items as your reputation improves. There is also a class specific Zul'Gurub Trinket by defeating the 4 Edge of Madness mini bosses and collecting each of their quest items. Which of the 4 bosses that spawns is not random and instead based on a complicated Spawn Calendar. Because of this it will take a minimum of 1 month for all 4 bosses to spawn. In Cataclysm With the Gurubashi trolls destroyed and the Blood God no longer an issue, most Zandalar trolls have returned back to their home land Zandalar, leaving Yojamba Isle empty. Exalted reputation with this faction will become a Feat of Strength. The Images from the Trailer for patch 4.1, show the Zandalari telling the trolls, the trolls face extinction unless they ally with them, telling them how Zul'Furrak went from being the jewel of Tanaris into a wasteland, and how Zul'drak has fallen and died while fighting the Scourge. The Zandalari orders Jindo the Godbreaker to restart the rituals in Zul'gurub, and the Amani to avenge the death of Zul'jin, whoever into the end of the Trailer, shows Vol'jin of the Darkspear walking away, the Zandalari questions his loyalty to his people, for which Vol'jin replies that his people ARE the Horde. Speculation The Zandalaris sudden willingness to unite the two former troll empires under their own leadership seem to be a strange turn of events. Considering the fact, that they have remained withdrawn and neutral for thousand of years, it is rather odd that they now wish to unite and strengthen the Gurubashi and Amani tribe. Furthermore, the fact that they try to summon Hakkar is quite weird when they just spend so much time trying to banish him. All in all, this do not seem like the usual neutral, lore-interested, Hakkar hating Zandalar trolls. Therefore it would be safe to assume, that it might be a rogue group of Zandalar members, who decided that something needed to be done about the current affairs of trolls. An extremist group, who had the power (in form of being priests and spellcasters) and will, to help their kin get back their past power and glory. This would also explain would they are summoning Hakkar again. It is therefore much more plausibel, that a small group decided to do what the other Zandalari would not; to unite the shattered troll tribes. That the entire Zandalar tribe should have changed their view on Hakkar so quickly after they fought him, simply doesn't seem propable. Patch changes * * External links es:Tribu Zandalar Category:Zandalar Tribe Category:Factions